Maritime patrol coverage depended on having bases able to sustain the aircraft, as well as enough aircraft to fly the missions. HMAS Sydney illustrates the problem of cruisers operating without sufficient air support. A tender could cover an area while permanent infrastructure was built, then move to the next location. The hunt for Graf Spee drew on Cumberland, Exeter, and modern Leander-class cruisers that were also useful elsewhere. Exeter's cheaper design suited distant trade-protection duties, but many of the other ships were valuable assets for the main theaters. Better local air coverage could reduce those demands by narrowing the waters that cruisers needed to search.
Notable Point · 1:53:23-1:56:48
Missing patrol bases increased the burden on cruisers
Missing support bases could restrict patrol coverage even when aircraft were available, forcing modern cruisers into distant searches for commerce raiders.